Where does “moai” come from?

moai (West Frisian) comes from Dutch mooi, from Middle Dutch mooy, from Old Dutch mōi, from Proto-West Germanic mauwī, from Proto-Germanic mawjaz, from Proto-Indo-European mewH- — to wash, wet; to make wet, wash; wet.

moai (West Frisian): beautiful, pretty, nice

Definitions

  1. beautiful, pretty, nice

Ancestry of “moai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchmooibeautiful, pretty, handsome; nice, good
2Middle Dutchmooy—
3Old Dutchmōi—
4Proto-West Germanicmauwīpretty
5Proto-Germanicmawjaz—
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanmewH-to wash, wet; to make wet, wash; wet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mawjaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic mauwī →
moai — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer